Permutation-padlock



ITED STATES:

PA NT OFFICEQ HARVEY c. LOWRIE, or DENVER, COLORADO.

PER-MUTATION-PAD LOCKr SPEGIFIUATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No.512,980, dated January 16, 1894. Applicati on filed April 20, 1893-Serial No. 471,145. (No model-l To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY C. LOWRIE, of Denver, in thecounty ofArapahoe and State of Colorado, have .invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Permutation-Locks, and I do hereby declare that thefollowing specification, taken in connection with the drawings furnishedand forming a partof the same, is a clear, true, and completedescription of my invention, as embodied by me in permutation-padlocks.

My present improvements have been embodied by me in alock containingvarious features of invention which have been fully disclosed in anothercontemporaneous application filed by me. (See Serial No. 471,015.)

In permutation padlocks as heretofore constructed, a series of notcheddisks overlying each other on one side of the lock, have been employedas parts of interior working rings, and the initial character on eachring, has

been accompanied by a pin, projecting latworking rings with a seriesofprojections,

for indicating its divisions, and in having the initial projectionextended beyond all of the others, in the same ring, to serve as aninitial feeling point.

Another ob ect of rnyinventionis to enable the rotative hasp shanks ofpermutation padlocks, with their several radial locking studs, to bevery economically constructed, and with great accuracy; and to thoseends, I provide the hasp shank with a recess adapted to re-v ceive thebase piece, with which the several locking studs are integral. It iswell known that as the locking studs become worn, the lock is renderedmore and more insecure as against tampering, and I am enabled to usespecially hard metal studs, in a hasp shank composed of softer metalsuch as cast bronze, brass or iron. one base piece, all of them can besimultane- -neous or special fastening devices. words, the hasp shank ismounted within a The several studs being on ously finishedup by the useof suitable tools, and their proper dimensions and relativepositions areabsolutely assured, with theexpenditure of a minimum of labor, and atcomparatively unskilled hands. This portion of my inventionftaken inconnection with other features of my invention, disclosed in myaforesaid application, enables me to separately construct the hasp shankaudits looking studs, and to co-operatively unite them, WIthOIJlJ'thGaid of rivets, pins, or other extra- In other central tube, which servesas the axial foundation of the lock, and also serves to maintain thelocking studs in operative union with the hasp shank.

To more particularly describe my invention, I will refer to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, illustrates in side view,oneof my locks embodying my present invention completely, and in animproved form. Fig. 2,

illustrates the lock in central section, show-, ing the slotted tube,which contains the hasp shank and its locking studs, said tube being theaxial portion of the lock, with which the working rings are concentric.Fig. 3, illustrates inthree views, one of the working rings complete,but detached from said lock. Fig. 4,.illustrates the hasp and its shank,detached from the lock, the shank being a set of united locking studs,detachably connected with the shank. Fig. 5, illustrates the lockingstuds detached from the shank, in several views. Fig. 6, illustrates amodification of the hasp shank, and the locking studs, in side and endviews. Fig. 7, illustrates, in two views, the locking studs of Fig. 6detached from the shank.

The look here shown has a hasp A, and a hasp horn B, and theirorganization with the workingrings O, 0', C the central slotted tube D,and the hasp shank A, within said tube, involves several features ofinvention which were disclosed in my aforesaid application for patent.These working rings 0, O and C are believed to be novel,inthat they needhave no numerals, or letters, or other similar means for opticallyindicating the sequential order of their several divisions; and also inthat they have each a single specially developed feeling point, orpointer, as at a, a, and a this being in each instance, a lateralprojection, radically unlike all the others, in that it is longer thanany of the others; this feature constitutes a valuable portion of myinvention, whether designating characters are employed therewith or not.It will be understood that these pointers, serve merely as readily feltstarting gages in that the next projection 12, to the right hand beingalso easily felt, will be readily recognized as division 1, forinstance, while the next projection I), to the left hand, will bereadily recognized, on ring 0, for instance, as division 7, the ringsvarying as to their divisions; having eight; 0', nine, and 0 tendivisions. It will now be readily seen, that the several specialprojections serve as feeling points, and that by feeling and countingeither way from the pointer, any one of the divisions, No. 4, forinstance, may be located in any one position, and that in like mannerthe next appropriate division of the next ring (say division 5) may bereadily placed in line with the first, and so on with the third ring at6, for instance, and so on again, throughout any number of rings.

With the divisions 4, 5 and 6, thus in line,

(this being assumed to be the unlocking combination at which the lockhas been set) it is then only necessary with this look, to partiallyrotate the base 0, of the slotted tube until the hasp is released. Withthe same system of rings, however, in some other forms of locks, thehasp would be released, or at least rendered movable for unlocking, assoon as the several proper divisions were placed in line with eachother, These projected pointers constitute on each working ring, aspecially developed feeling point, which afiords a promptly securedstarting point, from which the several divisions, (whether marked byprojections, or by depressions,) may be counted, and readily locatedwithout the use of the eyes of the operator. Now for enabling the lockto be more conveniently worked by daylight for instance, each of theseprojections, or the intervening recesses, may be inscribed with suitablenumerals,'or letters, without involving any departure from my invention.

The hasp shank A, of this padlock, is 1011- gitudinally movable withinthe slotted tube D, and the latter is rotatable with said shank,independently of the hasp, as in the lock disclosed in my said otherapplication; but this hasp shank A, with its locking studs e, e, 6?, isunlike the corresponding portion of the look so disclosed, this havingseveral locking studs which are integral with each other, and have abase piece 0 which is common to all of them. At the back of said basepiece, a tenon e, is formed, which occupies a corre sponding recess inthe side of the hasp shank as clearly indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. Nowalthough the locking studs and the shank are not united by any specialsecuring devices, such as pins or rivets, they become co-operativelyunited, when placed Within the slotted recess, guards againstlongitudinal displacement. As disclosed in my said other application,the several working rings are confined in position, and the hasp shankprevented from undue retraction, by means of a detachable yoke or clipf, which occupies transverse slots in the two sides of the central tubenear its top. So also in this lock, a spring g, actuates the hasp shanklongitudinally, independentlyof the hasp, and each of the working ringshas a series of false notches h, with certain desirable advantagesaccruing therefrom, all as fully disclosed in my said other application.

This feature of my invention, which includes the separable constructionof the rotative hasp shank and locking studs, and in having the severalstuds integral with each other on a common base piece, is not restrictedto such a combination thereof as would require the central tube to serveas a clamping element, because it is in some instances desirable to havethe central tube diametrically slotted, t'. e., at both sides, and touse therewith either a single or a double set of looking studs on thehasp shank. As for instance, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, wherein the haspshank A is longitudinally slotted, and the locking studs are integralwith a base piece a the whole being cut as by dies, from a thin piece ofsuitable sheet metal, which on being put within the slot in the shank,is secured as by a pin or rivet to the hasp shank, as clearly indicated.With this construction, the locking studs may be in a single set, or ina double set, the latter being indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6.

I am of course aware, that many lock keys have had separatelyconstructed bits, inserted into slotted key shanks; I am also aware thatin padlocks having non rotative hasp shanks, the several lugs have beenintegral with a sliding plate backed by a spring, but it will be obviousthat in permutation padlocks having rotative hasp shanks, the conditionsheretofore involved have been such that the hasp shanks must have hadeither integral looking studs in some form, or radially inserted pins,whereas in my locks, the central tube being interposed between the haspshank, and the working rings, renders it for the first time practicable,as well as desirable, to separately construct the hasp shank and thelooking studs.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent-- 1. In a permutation look a set of working -ringsconcentric with the hasp shank, each provided externally with a seriesof projections for indicating its divisions, and having one of saidprojections longer than the others, tion with suitable working rings, ofa hasp and hence readily distinguishable therefrom provided with a shankhaving a separately by feeling or touch substantially as described.constructed set of locking studs, and a cen- 2. In a permutationpadlock, the combinatral tube containing said shank, and main- 5 tionwith suitable working rings, of a rotataining the locking studs andshank in coop- 15.

tive hasp provided with a shank having a seperative relations,substantially as described.

arately constructed set of locking studs in- HARVEY O. LOWRIE. tegralwith each other and rigidly carried by Witnesses: said shank,substantially as described. PHILIP F. LARNER,

[O 3. In a permutation padlock, the combina- HOWELL BARTLE.

